1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multi-dimensional connector for connecting circuit boards. More specifically, the present invention relates to a multi-dimensional interface for connecting circuit boards.
2. Discussion of Background Information
The use of circuit boards is well known in the data processing industry. Multiple circuit boards need to be connected together to allow the signals to pass from one to the other. A popular type of interconnection between circuit boards known as an orthogonal packaging system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,708,660, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. In this system, a set of circuit boards are stacked in one alignment, while another set of boards are stacked in a perpendicular (i.e., orthogonal) alignment. Each board is provided with several bowtie connectors in which the connectors are identical and can connect together orthogonally. The stacks of circuit boards are then pressed into each other to form a matrix of connections, in which every board connects to every other board. The configuration provides a connection from each circuit board to every perpendicular circuit board.
A drawback of the prior art orthogonal package is that the number of boards is limited by mechanical and space considerations. Current boards can only be manufactured to a maximum of 34 inches, with a maximum of 34 bowtie connectors. Thus, currently only a maximum of 68 boards can be configured in the manner shown in the prior art. If a 69th board is needed, it will be distinct form the orthogonal matrix and have to interface via a separate connector.
Due to these limitations, it is often necessary to create banks of orthogonal connectors which occupy considerable floor space. For example, IBM BlueGene/L maintains a facility in Livermore in which the banks require 64 cabinets spread over 2,500 sq ft of floor space to provide 32 TB memory at 1.2 TB/s bisection. A Cray Red Storm system requires 175 cabinets over 3,500 sq ft of floor space to provide 75.9 TB memory at 10 TB/s bisection.
Another drawback of the prior art is that circuit boards have direct connections only with the perpendicular circuit boards. There is no direct connection with parallel circuit boards in the same stack. The only way that a circuit board can communicate with other circuit boards in the same stack is by routing the communication through a circuit board in the orthogonal stack, which reduces the overall operating speed of the system.